In an historic move, Australia's first free-to-air indigenous TV channel will be launched today.

The third channel for SBS will be ''switched on'' by Communications Minister Stephen Conroy as part of a ceremony at Uluru, in the country's centre.

National Indigenous Television (NITV), which has been broadcasting for the past five years on pay TV, will broadcast a day of special programming including two live outdoor broadcasts from Uluru.

They will be presented by indigenous broadcasters Stan Grant and Rhoda Roberts, who will interview a number of special guests.

There will also be a live broadcast of a celebration concert near the rock tonight featuring top indigenous artists including Archie Roach, Casey Donovan and Troy Cassar-Daley.NITV Channel Manager Tanya Denning said it had taken a ''good 30-odd years of getting to this point, having a channel accessible to every Australian''.''

A lot of the first moves into television were in Central Australia,'' she said, explaining why Uluru had been chosen as the location for the launch.

''There's been a political push to have our place in the Australian media landscape and go back to our ownership of our stories.

SBS managing director Michael Ebeid, who was involved in the negotiations, welcomed the move.''It's one of those really historic moments that you can be really proud of contributing something to a community that has longed for media of their own,'' Ebeid says.

''It's going to be terrific for them to be able to share indigenous culture and stories in this way.''The channel will also help record indigenous culture for both indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.